"象屎咖啡"驚現泰國 成全球最貴最奢侈咖啡

Anantara Resorts, one of the world's most expensive resort chains, has debuted some of the world's costliest coffee at its Maldives properties. Just one thing though: The coffee beans are harvested from elephant dung.

安納塔拉度假村是世界上最昂貴的連鎖酒店之一，它旗下位於馬爾代夫的度假村現在推出世上最貴的咖啡。但最關鍵的是：這個咖啡豆產自大象的糞便。

The coffee is also offered at Anantara's Golden Triangle property in Thailand.

這款咖啡也在泰國的安納塔拉金三角度假村銷售。

The coffee beans, called Black Ivory and priced at $1,100 per kilogram, are digested by an elephant before you drink it. There are only 50 kilograms, or about 110 pounds, currently for sale.

這種名爲“黑色象牙”的咖啡豆每公斤售價1100美元，在你喝進肚子裏之前曾經過大象消化。現在可供出售的咖啡豆僅50公斤（大約110磅）。

According to the resort, Black Ivory coffee beans are "naturally refined" by Thai elephants. Research indicates that during digestion, the enzymes of the elephant break down coffee protein, according to the resort. Protein is one of the factors responsible for bitterness in coffee: less protein, less bitterness.

據度假村介紹，“黑色象牙”咖啡豆是經泰國大象“自然提煉”出來的。他們說已經過研究證明，經過消化，大象體內的酶可以分解咖啡蛋白。而這種蛋白則是造成咖啡苦澀的一個因素：蛋白質越少，苦味越淡。

The coffee is ground by hand and brewed table side in a four-minute process. The fragrance is said to be floral and chocolate and the taste "milk chocolate, nutty, earthy with hints of spice and red berries."

咖啡由手工研磨，再在桌邊經過4分鐘的煮咖啡過程就完成了。據瞭解，這款咖啡具有花香與巧克力的混合香氣，還有豐富口感：“牛奶巧克力、堅果、以及紅漿果和少許香料的芳香。”

Thai Arabica beans are picked from an altitude of 1500 meters (about 5000 feet) and fed to the elephants. "Once deposited by the elephants, the individual beans are handpicked by mahouts (elephant trainer and care giver) and their wives and sun dried."

這種咖啡豆採自生長在海拔1500米處（約5000英尺）的阿拉比卡咖啡樹，然後餵給大象。“一經大象消化，由象夫（訓練並照顧大象的人）精心挑選每一顆咖啡豆，然後再由他們的妻子曬乾咖啡豆。

Refinement of the coffee takes place at the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation, an elephant conservation program. According to the resort, 8 percent of sales will fund an elephant veterinarian specialist to provide free care to the animals. Additional funds will be used to provide medicine and a new laboratory.

咖啡豆的提純由金三角州象基金會負責，這是大象保育計劃的一部分。據度假村介紹，8%的銷售額會用於支持大象獸醫專家爲大象提供免費醫療。額外資金也會用於藥品研發和建立新實驗室。

Black Ivory isn't the first coffee in the world to come out of animal dung. Civet coffee, priced at several hundred dollars per pound, is harvested from the civet cats' of Southeast Asia's excrement.

“黑色象牙”並非世界上最早的一款動物糞便咖啡。果子狸咖啡（俗稱“貓屎咖啡”）每磅售價幾百美元，也是產自東南亞果子狸的糞便。